In retrospect, Penn State lost any chance to win today's TicketCity Bowl when starting quarterback Matt McGloin acted like an idiot -- and not the team leader that he should be -- in getting into a fight last month with teammate Curtis Drake. McGloin sustained a concussion and couldn't play today, and instead the Houston defense dared replacement QB Rob Bolden to pass.

Interesting story here from the Indianapolis Star regarding Indiana running back Darius Willis, whose career has ended following 1) a knee injury and 2) an appearance at a pro wrestling match.

Willis would not have been on the field Saturday, when Penn State visits for its Big Ten opener, but this essentially confirms he's finished with football. Hopefully for him, the wrestling career proves productive.

The United Football League will hold its draft tonight, hoping to capitalize on the NFL lockout that has frozen potential free-agent signings. Coaches from the five-team league (including Glanville, Schottenheimer and Green) will make their selections via Twitter beginning at 8 p.m.

For the UFL, this a chance to generate extra publicity during an NFL hiatus. Because of the lockout, undrafted players are not allowed to sign free-agent contracts. As a result, their NFL futures are in limbo.

Without a clear path even to an NFL training camp, players such as Brackett, Ollie Ogbu and even former Penn State quarterback Pat Devlin might consider spending a year with the Hartford Colonials, Las Vegas Locomotives or Omaha Nighthawks.

Only one former Penn State player is listed on a UFL squad: safety Calvin Lowry, who plays for Omaha. Will he get any company tonight?

About the game: Minnesota defense is hemorrhaging points the way Penn State’s roster is hemorrhaging players from injuries and doing bad things. Gophers give up 32 points per game and 5.6 yards per run and foes are completing 70 percent of their passes. So, Dear Penn State Offense: This would be your opportune chance to show something. … Gopher offense has a senior QB, Adam Weber, who can cause trouble as Minnesota is averaging 25 points per game. That could put Penn State’s new starting safety Malcolm Willis on the spot.

What to watch for: Will the likely return of three to five injured players in the front-seven rotation help Penn State restore normalcy on defense -- as in stop the run? … If this is a semi-shootout, can Penn State’s offense match the Gophers? … Will the Gophers try to win one for ousted coach Tim Brewster and/or get jacked up under interim coach Jeff Horton? … And perhaps most critically, will you be able to find a sports bar or friend’s house to watch the game?

Prediction: Penn State didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard last year -- when its offense was much better-- in a 20-0 victory over Minny at the Beav. But this year, the Gopher defense is there for the taking. Penn State 27, Minnesota 17.

Today's meaningless fun fact: The last team to beat unbeaten and No. 6 LSU is ... why Penn State, of course.

Penn State began preseason drills Thursday afternoon, its first of 29 allowable practice sessions before the season opener Sept. 4 against Youngstown State.

The NCAA has a laundry list of rules for Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools to follow during the preseason. For instance, schools are limited to 29 practices in the 40 days prior to their opening game. Two-a-days count as two sessions, which is why most teams open about a month prior to the season.

As the Lions get started, here’s a primer on what they’re allowed to do in the next month, per the 2010-11 NCAA Manual.

17.9.2.1.2– Roster limits: Teams are allowed to practice with 105 players prior to their first game. Service academies are exempt from this rule.

17.9.2.3 – Orientation period: The NCAA mandates a five-day “acclimatization period,” during which two-a-days are not permitted. In addition, players are limited to wearing just helmets the first two days. They can add shoulder pads the next two days and full pads on the fifth day.

17.9.2.4– Limiting hours: After the five-day orientation, teams can begin holding two-a-days but not on consecutive days. Single-practice days are limited to three hours, and two-a-days can’t go longer than five hours total. Two-a-day sessions require a three-hour break away from football (no meetings, film sessions or lifting). Medical treatment and meals are allowable team activities during the break.

According to this framework, Penn State is allowed to practice in full pads as early as Monday and allowed to begin two-a-days as early as Tuesday.

Former Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark worked out this weekend with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, according to the Calgary Sun. The Stampeders' coach and general manager is former Penn State quarterback John Hufnagel.

"He's just here on a workout for the immediate future," Hufnagel said, according to the Sun. "I thought he had a lively arm, and he's accurate. He showed pretty good feet."

Clark has not signed with Calgary, the paper reported. The Stampeders are four games into the season and are three-deep at quarterback. The starter is former Temple quarterback Henry Burris.

Clark, a two-year starter at Penn State, went undrafted last spring. The Washington Redskins invited Clark to a minicamp but did not sign him. Penn State quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said he was surprised at the lack of interest.

"I had a scout say to me, ‘He’s a running quarterback, do you think he can throw the ball?’” Paterno said at the Lift For Life event earlier this month. “I said, ‘What film are you watching?’ He’s a dropback quarterback with great pocket presence and a strong arm. I also had some guys in the NFL say to me, ‘We drafted these other guys because they had bigger reputations, the whole nine yards.’

“I’m really surprised, because here’s a guy who has two degrees, has never been a problem, never had trouble off the field, and if you put him in front of the media he’s fantastic. He’s everything you want in an NFL guy. … The great thing about Daryll is, he’s had to overcome adversity a lot of times in his life and he’s not down about it.”

Penn State released its depth chart for the Akron game. Here's a look, with some initial commentary.

OFFENSE

WR: Brett Brackett, Chaz Powell.

LT: Dennis Landolt, Ako Poti.

LG: Matt Stankiewitch, Johnnie Troutman.

C: Stefen Wisniewski, Doug Klopacz.

RG: Lou Eliades, Quinn Barham.

RT: DeOn'tae Pannell. Nerraw McCormack.

TE: Mickey Shuler, Andrew Quarless.

QB: Daryll Clark, Kevin Newsome.

RB: Evan Royster, Stephfon Green

WR: Derek Moye, A.J. Price.

WR: Graham Zug, Patrick Mauti.

This is a pretty reserved two-deep, showing only thre true freshmen who enrolled early and, thus, none of those who might contribute occasionally as receivers. Moye, Brackett and Zug are the most experienced receivers, so it's little surprise they're listed as the starters. Powell is the one to watch Saturday: He's supposed to take the Derrick Williams role, which means he'll be used in a variety of ways. Offensive line depth is remarkably thin. Among the No. 2s, only Troutman played in more than one Big Ten game last season. True freshman Ty Howle is the No. 3 center.

DEFENSE

DE: Jerome Hayes, Kevion Latham.

DT: Jared Odrick, Brandon Ware.

DT: Ollie Ogbu, Devon Still.

DE: Jack Crawford, Eric Latimore.

OLB: Sean Lee, Nathan Stupar.

MLB: Josh Hull, Bani Gbadyu.

OLB: Navorro Bowman, Chris Colasanti.

CB: Knowledge Timmons, A.J. Wallace.

FS: Drew Astorino, Andrew Dailey.

Hero: Nick Sukay, Cedrick Jeffries.

CB: D'Anton Lynn. Shelton McCullough.

Good to see Hayes listed as a starter, though line coach Larry Johnson Sr. said he'll be limited to 30-35 plays per game. Mike Mauti's injury moved Bani Gbadyu inside behind Hull, and has Chris Colasanti shifted outside (though a redshirt season remains plausible). Mike Zordich and Mike Yancich will be the primary No. 3 linebackers. Wallace listed as a No. 2 is a positive sign for him. It means he'll be on the field soon. True freshman Gerald Hodges is No. 3 at Hero.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punter: Jeremy Boone

Kicker: Collin Wagner

Punt returns: Drew Astorino

Kick returns: Stephfon Green, Chaz Powell

There's some sandbagging here. Astorino takes over Anthony Scirrotto's role as the protection punt-returner, but who actually will return punts? Perhaps a true freshman? Green and Powell could be a dynamic combo on kickoffs.